KYIV, Sept 25 – On Friday evening the Cabinet of Ministers confirmed a draft law reducing export duties on sunflower from 23 percent to 10 percent, said Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko’s press secretary, Natalia Zarudna, Ukrainian News reported.
“The draft law establishing duties on sunflower exports at a 10 percent duty rate was confirmed today. It has a seasonal nature, from November 1 to March 1,” Zarudna said.
The Cabinet of Ministers prepared the draft law on the 10 percent seasonal export duty on oil-bearing crops after several parliamentary rejections of the government-proposed draft law on abolishing the 23 percent export duty on sunflower.
The International Monetary Fund considers cancellation of the 23 percent duty on sunflower exports one of the conditions for renewed financing for Ukraine.
The 23 percent duty on sunflower exports has been in force since October 2, 1999.
According to State Statistics Committee data, in the 1999/2000 season (September 1999 – May 2000), sunflower exports stood at 284 thousand tons (in the 1998/1999 season companies exported around 830 thousand tons of sunflower).
